Pneumatic dispatch carrier



Sept. 8, 1936.- 1G, MACLAREN 2,053,671 'VPNEUMATIC DIsrfATcH CARRIER v Filed Dec. v9, 195;"

' IT'I'G"y wenn@ Mluvewrom Patented Sept. Y8, 1936` UNITED STATES PATENT oFFlcE 12 Claims.

This invention relates to pneumatic dispatch carriers, and more particularly to carriers of the take-apart type suitable for department store pneumatic dispatch tube systems.

Take-apart carriers have shells that are easily separable without the use of tools or a Vwork bench.

The carrier air disk now in general use is described in the U. S. Patent No. 808,263 dated J anuary 2, 1906. This older disk is clamped between the closed end of an outer carrier shell and the face of a felt buffer head bymeans of two screws that are riveted after tightening to insure a permanent fastening.

To renew the air disk, the screws are sawed through and discarded, and this operation re quires that the carriers be collected and taken to a work bench.

These air disks are generally made of thin flexible material and slightly larger than the transit tube. They are an important part of the carrier, materially increasing the carrier speed when in flight.r The disks are practically a neces`= sity when the tube system is equipped with power saving valves of the dual flow type that function by reason of the tube being obstructed by a carrier.

The takeeapart carrier now in general use is described in the U. S. Patent No. 1,553,869 dated September 15, 1925; and a dualflow power saving valve is described in' the' U. S. Patent No. 1,637,314 datedjanuar'y 26,1927'. v

As the carrier air disks wear out faster than the felt buffers, it will contribute to the satis"-A factory operation of tlie pneumatic tube system,

and encourage the care-taker to keep carriers in good repair, if worn air disks can be quickly and economicallyY replaced. j

My invention accomplishes this purpose. It

also provides for the use of thinner, and therefore cheaper carrier buffers, a gauge for indicat-k ing when a carrier buffer is worn out, and pro-'- vides means to lengthen a standard carrier for operation with a sorter which deflects carriers inv one direction or another', according to the carrier' length. A fcrrnofl this type of sorter is described in U. S. Patent No. 1,383,194 dated June 28, 1921.

A preferred form of the invention is shown in the drawing, in which: Fig. 1 is a side View of a carrier equipped with my air disk and a new arrangement of buffer assembly. 55 Fig. 2 shows the front end of a carrier equipped with my disk .and a form of buer now in general use.

Fig'. 3 is a plan view of my air disk or packing ring.

Fig. 4 is a plan View of a sheet of thin metal cut 5 intov a suitable form for a disk holder.

Fig.Y 5 is a disk holder side View after the form in Fig'. 4 has been cupped.

Fig, 6 is a longitudinal sectional View through the center of the carrier and ydrawn to large scale. 10 It shows the assembly illustrated in Figs. 2 and 7.

Fig. 7 is an end view of the carriers shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

In Fig. 2 is shown a felt buer head I such as is now standard in the trade. They are 3A, inch 15 thick and the end 2 is beveled to easily ride over tube joints, etc., and the surface 3 is the sli-dingA surface an-d subject to wear from contact with the walls of tubing, bends and terminals.

The edge 4 is undercut to provide a space into 20 which the disk 5 may fold when the carrier is in flight. This disk 5V I make in the form of a ring, as shown inl Fig. 3. In the preferred form it is made of flexible material and has eighteen pierced'slots B to fit over the prongs l of the' 25 holder 8in Fig. 5. This holder 8 is cupped from the fornll in Fig. 4. The diameter I0 of the holder 8 I'prefer to make equal to the minimum suitable voperatingdiameter of the felt buffer, as an urge to the care taker to replace the felt buffer 30 when it has Aworn to thisy diameter.

In Fig. 1 I show a thinner felt buffer I I having the same amount of wearing surface 3 as in Fig. 2.V The thickness of felt required for the undercut space 4' is omitted and instead a spacing disk' I2 35 of any hard suitable material such as leather or fibre andI of suitable diameter; is clamped between theairdisk Sand the buffer I I. 'I'his provides a recess I3 for the air disk to fold into. The disk l2 can be of considerable thickness when it is de- 40 sired to' make up acarrier of longer overall length from stock parts, for' use with sorting devices.A

l Obviously, for lengthening purposes, one or more spacing disks can y be similarly secured at the oppositeend t4 of the carrier, between the 45' closed end ofthe cuter shell I5 and the buffer" I6.

These spacing disks are preferably made to closely fit inside the prongs I of the holder 8 and larger than the opening I9 in the disk 5.

In Fig. 6, l5 is the outer shell and l1 the inner' 5o shell of a take-apart carrier, and it will be under.. stood that in this type of carrier, the shells may be easily separated.

By making the inner diameter I8 of the form 9, a sliding Iit over the inner shell I1, and the inner diameter I9 of the air disk 5 suniciently large to permit its being stretched over the inner shell I1, the disk 5 and the holder 8 can be slipped into place and secured by the open end f the outer shell I5 when the shells I5 and I'I are assembled.

It is possible to omit the holder 8, make the ring of leather and harden the inner edge around the hole I 9 of the disk or ring 5, with wax to make it stif and nonelastic at the center, but left flexible around the outer edge.

Also, a ring can be used for the air disk made from stiff leather or packing. In this case the outside diameter would be a sliding fit in the transit tube. However, the iiexible disk secured by a metal holder is the preferred form.

In Fig. 6, 20 is a closure secured to the end of the inner shell Il. 2| and 22 are fillers to equal the thickness of the air disk 5 and the holder 8 and are secured between the buiIer head I and the closure 20 by means of two screws 23.

It will be noted that whereas in the older form of carrier the air disk is on the closed end of the outer shell, in my drawing it is placed next to the open end of the outer shell and this end of the shell used to secure the air disk in place.

It is to be understood that while preferred embodiments of this invention have been shown herein by way of example, various changes in the proportions and arrangement of parts may be made if desired and that equivalent parts may be substituted for those shown and described herein and that some parts may be omitted Without departing from the invention.

I claim:

1. In a pneumatic tube carrier having a shell with a buffer secured thereto, a flexible packing ring slidable over the sh-ell separate from the buffer and unattached thereto, and means supported on the carrier shell having prongs extending through and holding said packing ring in operable position against the buffer.

2. In a pneumatic tube carrier having a body With a buffer attached thereto, an air disk abutting the said buffer and held thereagainst, and means separate from any buier attaching means for securing the said air disk in operable position said means having prongs extending through the disk.

3. In a pneumatic tube carrier having a body With a buffer attached thereto, an air disk adjacent to the said buffer and held thereagainst, and means encircling the carrier shell for securing the disk to the carrier, removable without detaching the buier and. having prongs extending through the said air disk.

4. In a pneumatic tube carrier having a body equipped with a buffer head, a packing ring slidable over the carrier body, a holding means loosely encircling the carrier body and engaging the packing ring, and an outer shell securing the packing ring and its holding means in operable position against the buffer.

5. In a pneumatic tube carrier having a body equipped with a buffer head, an air disk having a. center opening formed to fit over the carrier body, a holder for the disk separate from the carrier body, the said holder anchored to the disk near the periphery of the disk center opening, and means removably attached to the body and securing the disk and holder against the buffer head.

6. In a pneumatic tube take-apart carrier having separable inner and outer shells, each shell having one open and one covered end, a buffer head attached to the covered end of each shell, an air disk and holder for same slidable over the inner shell when the shells are separated and secured in operable position by the outer shell when the shells are assembled.

7. In a pneumatic tube carrier of take-apart type having separable telescoping shells, each shell having a buffer head attached to one end thereof, an air disk and holding means for same slidable over the inner shell, said air disk clamped in operable position between a buffer head and the outer shell or a part thereof. A

8. In a pneumatic tube carrier of take-apart type having separable telescoping shells, each shell having a buffer head attached to one end thereof, an air disk supported on prongs projecting from an air disk holder, both the disk and holder slidable over the inner shell, said air disk and holder clamped in position between a buffer head and the outer shell or a part thereof.

9. In a pneumatic tube carrier of take-apart type having separable telescoping shells, each shell having a buffer head attached to one end, a spacer member between a buffer head and a shell; an air disk slidable over the inner shell, supported by stifening means and clamped in operable position between a buffer head and the outer carrier shell or a, part thereof.

l0. In a pneumatic tube carrier of take-apart type having separable telescoping shells, each shell having a buffer head attached to one end thereof, a spacer member between the inner carrier shell and the buier head attached thereto, and a detachable air disk supported on prongs projecting from an air disk holder, both the air disk and holder slidable over the inner shell, and clamped in position between a buffer head and the outer carrier shell or a part thereof.

l1. In a pneumatic tube carrier having a hollow shell with a buier attached thereto, a packing ring encircling the said shell, means made a part of the ring and independent of the said shell or buier for stiffening the inner periphery of the packing ring, and means holding the packing ring in operable position.

12. In a pneumatic tube carrier having a hollow shell with a buffer attached thereto, a ilexible packing ring having an opening permitting said ring to slide over the said shell, means attached to the ring adjacent the periphery of the opening and holding the ring in conformation with the form of said shell, and a separable outer shell slidable over and attached to said hollow position against the buffer.

JAMES G. MACLAREN. 

